U.S. Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) visits two Thompson School District schools during his weeklong tour of schools, businesses

By Shelley Widhalm Reporter-Herald Staff Writer

Posted:
11/08/2013 02:55:56 PM MST

U.S. Rep. Jared Polis swings on playground equipment Friday at the Big Thompson Elementary School west of Loveland. Principal Sarah Walgast, left, district representative Mara Brosy-Wiwchar, center, and Dr. Paul Bankes, executive director of elementary education for the Thompson School District, right, watch as Polis swings. Walgast showed him the new playground equipment so he could see and example of how the community has supported the schools' efforts.
(
Jenny Sparks
)

The piece of equipment, so named by staff, was just one stopping point for Polis as he toured the school to learn about its programs and offerings and to find out how students and staff are coping following the Front Range flood in mid-September.

"It's been really interesting to see how people are recovering from the flood, the families that were impacted, as well as a lot of the educational programs and choices that parents have here in Thompson and in Poudre."

Polis visited Coyote Ridge Elementary School before coming to Big Thompson on Friday as part of his in-district work this past week. He stopped in at schools and businesses and participated in tours, town halls, citizen meetings and roundtable discussions in Loveland, Fort Collins, Wellington, Red Feather Lakes, Boulder, Lyons and Louisville.

"The thing about this community, they are so strong, they are so supportive of each other," said school principal Sarah Walgast.

Walgast told Polis 15 to 20 percent of her students were displaced by the flood and that a few of the families have not been able to return to their homes.

"They're fine," Walgast said about all of her students, adding that every so often when it rains, some of the younger ones ask if they have to be evacuated. "The biggest thing is bringing normality back into their lives."

The school put up the annual giving tree, a holiday tradition, earlier than normal to encourage students and staff to give to flood evacuees, plus other schools have held fundraisers for Big T, Walgast said.

"It's exciting to see this important hub helping people get through," Polis said.

Polis asked if the school had received any damage from the flood, and Walgast said the ceiling tiles in a fourth-grade classroom fell down and mold growth resulted, a situation that has since been tested and repaired.

Walgast led a tour of the Playscape, the school's new playground, outdoor education center and natural area, attended by Polis, one of Polis's staff members and Paul Bankes, director of elementary education for Thompson School District.

"This wasn't impacted at all," Walgast said about the playground area.

Walgast stopped at a cement structure that eventually will have sand and water features in it for students to study erosion and other forces of nature.

"This is a really great way where the kids obviously witnessed something in their community and now they'll be able to understand some of the science behind it in real life," Polis said.

Walgast took Polis to a couple of classrooms, where he asked students what they were working on, such as self-directed study in James Coopers' fifth-grade class.

Polis pointed out the different programs he encountered on his tours, such as Coyote Ridge being one of the few schools in the state offering an International Baccalaureate program and Big Thompson's nature and science and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, or STEM, focuses.

"It's great to see the types of alternatives that are available for families," Polis said. "You're not forced to go to the school in the area where you live. We have open enrollment and choice for our kids."